Page 50 of Moonlit Kisses

CHAPTER24

–molly–

As soon asI close myself inside my car, the storm I was holding inside breaks free, streaming down my face and dripping from my chin. I drop my head to my steering wheel and let the tears come. I need to purge this hurt out of me.

A warm hand slides around my back, underneath the fall of my hair, and I scream. I didn’t even hear the door open. The hold tightens on me and I turn my head. Only my hair blocks my view.

“Shhh, it’s only me, Dimples.” Max pushes my hair away from my face, and I’m embarrassed at how I must look.

“Wha– … what are you doing here?”

One side of his mouth tips up and he shrugs carelessly. “I couldn’t sit at home waiting and not knowing if you’d be okay. I’ve been sitting in the parking lot for the last thirty minutes, watching and waiting.” His eyebrows scrunch low. “Do I need to kick Martin’s ass?” His tone is deadly serious. Max is not a confrontational man, so for him to offer to kick Martin’s ass means the world to me.

I drop my head to his shoulder and wrap my arm around him, pulling him close to me. A relieved smile touches my lips as I shake my head in the negative. Having him here settles the storm and calms my soul. I know I don’t have to deal with this alone. Max has quickly become my new anchor, whether or not he realizes it. A sob breaks free, but it’s full of relief knowing someone has my back. I’ve been missing the support since I lost my world.

“C’mon. Let me take you home. We can come back tomorrow to collect your car. Grab your purse.”

I nod into his shoulder, hiding the mess that must be my face. Max helps me out of my car and into his. I spend the drive staring out of the window, not seeing anything, my mind running over everything Martin said. It’s not until we pull into the driveway of an unfamiliar house that I turn to Max.

“Where are we?”

“My place. I don’t think you should be alone tonight. You can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.” He climbs out of the car and comes around to my side to collect me. Helping me out of the car, he carries me to the front door, only putting me on my feet to unlock the latch. As soon as it’s open, he picks me up again.

“I can walk, you know.” I chuckle. Secretly, I don’t want him to put me down. His care is soothing.

“I know, but I want to care for you. You need some TLC.” He plants a gentle kiss against my temple, melting my heart. The man who says he’sonlymy boss and that we can’t be anything more than that carries me across to his couch, placing me on the chaise portion of his heather-gray sectional couch. He lays my legs out gently and props a large, red cushion behind my back. I remove my shoes and drop them onto the carpet next to the couch. I don’t like having shoes on the couch. “Did you eat? You didn’t seem like you were inside long enough to eat.”

I shake my head. “I lost my appetite. To be honest, I’m not hungry.”

“How about a hot chocolate, then? Mom taught me how to make the best hot chocolate for times like these.” He looks hopeful, his hands tucked into his back pockets, tugging the denim tight across his firm thighs.

I smile. “That’d be nice. Do you mind if I use your bathroom? I wouldn’t mind cleaning up a bit.” I circle my fingers around my face, not that I want to draw his attention to the mess.

“Uh, sure.” He rushes forward to help me up from the couch. “I’ll show you where it is.”

As he guides me through to the bathroom, I take in my surroundings. His house is bare, but tidy. It has the essential items, but nothing more than that. I wonder if it’s because he likes it this way, or maybe he hasn’t been here all that long. He said it took a while for him to afford a house of his own away from the workshop.

The light turns on in the bathroom with a flick of the switch and Max leaves me alone, closing the door quietly behind him. Studying myself in the mirror above the sink, I cringe at my ruined mascara, smudged around my eyes with light black streaks down my cheeks. Oh my gosh, it’s every bit as bad as I thought it’d be. I set about doing what I need to do, go to the toilet, and wash my hands. Max meets me back in the living room with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

“Sorry, I don’t have any snacks to go with the drinks,” he says apologetically and passes me a cup once I’m situated to his satisfaction back where I was before. He’s placed a tray on the couch next to me, so I don’t have to reach forward for my drink.

“It’s okay. I don’t think I can stomach much, anyway.” I draw in a deep breath of the steaming liquid. “This smells amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. If you want to talk about what happened, I’m here. If you would rather just watch a movie and forget for a while, we can do that too.”

“Can we forget for a while?”

“Sure.”

Max turns on the television and flicks through the channels. I catch a glimpse of aFriendsepisode. “Ooh, can we watch that episode? I think it’s the one where Ross whitens his teeth.”

He flicks back to the right channel, and we settle down, Max choosing the cushion next to mine. I rest my head on his shoulder and he takes my hand, placing it on his thigh, drawing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. We both chuckle as Monica and Chandler lay eyes on Ross’s teeth for the first time. The banter between them is so funny that Max and I chuckle. We giggle through episode after episode, my body sagging lower and lower until my head is resting in Max’s lap and he’s stroking my hair, lulling me into a sleepy state.

I wake slightly when Max’s arms slide beneath my legs and shoulders. “Huh?”

He kisses my forehead. “You fell asleep so I’m putting you to bed.”

“Mmm, ’kay.” I snuggle into his warm body, too sleepy to offer to walk myself.

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